690919 - Letter to Tamala Krishna written from Tittenhurst, UK

Letters by Date, 1969

Tridandi Goswami
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Founder-Acharya:
International Society for Krishna Consciousness

CENTER: TITTENHURST PARK
TITTENHURST HOUSE
Ascot, Berkshire, ENGLAND

DATE .....September...19th,.....1969..

My Dear Tamal Krishna,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you for your letter dated September 13th, 1969, and I am so glad to learn that two new branches are now opened; one in Laguna Beach, another in Tokyo. With great interest, I read the letter of Sudama, and I have also sent him a letter of congratulations. You have proposed to go to Japan next year, and I am very much pleased on this point. I wish to go with a big Sankirtan Party from Los Angeles. So if we can overflood Japan with this Sankirtan Movement, it will be a great great achievement in the Eastern countries, and if we move little further more into China and Russia, then we shall build up a strong belt all around the world of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

Here in London, the activities are going on. The place where I am now staying is a very big garden house, and the place allotted to us is a super-excellent temple site. The only difficulty is, it is far away from the city, so the city people cannot conveniently come here. The temple in the city is not finished being constructed yet, neither is there sufficient space. It can be used as office and residence, but as a temple, it has no sufficient space. So things here are not yet very smooth, although the movement is accepted by the people in general as nice. The Hare Krishna record is selling very nicely. Yesterday, it sold 5,000 copies, and this week it is on the chronological list as #20. They say next week it will come to be #3, and after that it may come to #1. So they are very much hopeful of this record. Mr. George Harrison appears to be very intelligent boy, and he is by the Grace of Krishna, fortunate also. On the first day, he came to see me along with John Lennon, and we had talked about 2 hours. He wanted to talk with me more, but he is now gone to his sick mother in Liverpool. So if this boy cooperates with our movement, it will be very nice impetus, for after all, he is monied man. These monied men and women have to be very cautiously dealt within spiritual life. We have to sometimes deal with them on account of preaching work; otherwise, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has strictly restricted to mix with them for the Krishna Conscious people. But we get instruction from Rupa Goswami that whatever opportunity is favorable for pushing on Krishna Consciousness, we should accept.

You write to say that you do not know what is my desire, but my desire is an open secret. I simply want all over the Western countries people may take this simple formula of chanting, dancing, and eating Krishna Prasadam and being happy. I am simply surprised that they should not accept this simple formula and be happy themselves. My only desire is that all people become happy and prosperous in Krishna Consciousness. My predecessors, Vaisnavas, they were so generous that they felt very much afflicted for the suffering of the human society. Sri Rupa Goswami tried to elevate them to real path of happiness by introducing this Govinda Ganamrita, the Nectarine of the Songs of Govinda. That will make them happy.

In England there is very good prospect for pushing on Krishna Consciousness. I am trying to make some arrangements with Mr. Lennon to have the facility for having this garden house. Here we can accommodate many devotees, and if the opportunity is offered to us, we can organize a very strong Sankirtan Party here and establish at least four or five branches in England. But the climate is not at all suitable for me. The idea you described in your letter about unifying the temples is very nice. I am enclosing herewith one newspaper cutting of our airport reception for your reference. Last Tuesday night we appeared on one very popular BBC television show for a forty-five minute interview, and it was very successful.

Please convey my blessings to the others. I hope this will meet you in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami